Bluefish - Pat Schmatz

This was recommended to me by our wonderful new librarian, Wendy Wright. So thanks to her I think we'll be ordering a class set of this, probably for Yr 10 or Yr 11 classes.

Travis has been raised by his grandfather in small town, rural America. Financial difficulties force Travis and his grandad to move into town and closer to the school Travis hates so much. At school nothing seems to make sense to Travis, learning just doesn't 'fit'. However meeting Mr McQueen and teaming up with new friends,Velveeta and Randy, opens up a new world for him.

While being incredibly well crafted in terms of it's language and structure, it is also very realistic in terms of the a teenage boy struggling to overcome a serious learning issue while trying to hide the truth about it.

Z - the story of Zelda Fitzgerald

This is my first posting in a while and it seems fitting that with the release of The Great gatsby, that I am restarting the blog with this book.

Loved it. Loved the style of writing. Loved the insights - however true or not - into the characters. Loved the fact that I knew so little about Zelda  Loved the links to Hemmingway and the Gertrude Stein crew. Loved the way it ended.

I had read 'The Paris wife' also recently a+Zelda F coming out this year...

Unwind - Neal Shusterman

The recent re-discovery of 'dystopian' literature by teens, makes this a good choice for classroom study. Set in the near future, Unwind is set in a society where until the age of 16, you can be 'unwound' and your parts recycled.

Teenagers who question, challenge or are just not up to the grade, can have this 'punishment'.

Connor, Risa and Lev, challenge the system and survive - to help lead a struggle to change society...

Check out the book trailer here

Now - Morris Gleitzman

The third in a the series - this follows on from Once and Then, Now picks up the story of Felix 50 years after the end of WW2. He escaped the horrors of post war Germany and has resettled in Australia, where he became a successful surgeon.

The story is set in a small rural, bush community during very hot summer. The Zelda of Now is Felix's grandaughter, who struggles to find her identity and place in the new school and town she has moved to. Modern disasters prove to be as harrowing as those of the past and we are reminded of the speed in which someone's life can change.

The style is as captivating as Once and Then, but Now can be read as a stand alone, but I would recommend making the effort to read them first. The issues of identity, remorse and regret as well as the need for closure are key to the novel. A moving story for young teens.

iboy - Kevin Brooks

I have been a long time fan of Kevin Brooks. His books often deal with a harsher look at the life of disenfranchised teens. His style is very contemporary and very gritty. iboy is no exception.

A shocking attack begins the story - and for this reason I would recommend this only to mature teen readers. The attack changes Tom and Lucy forever - in different ways. Tom's brain has somehow merged with the mobile phone that is embedded in his head. A phone that provides him with continual online hook-up with the entire mobile network. Just how will he use this power?

Set against a backdrop of housing estate gangs, drugs and violence, Brooks provides a tense and emotional journey.

American Youth - Phil LaMarche

It's not often that I don't like a book that's been recommended - but this is one of those times.

I really expected to be won over by this story of Terry, an ordinary boy from small town America, whose life is changed by a fatal mistake. After his family tries to cover up and hide the truth Terry's issues become internalised. The novel has been lauded as 'great' by American critics. I simply did not 'warm' to any of the characters.

I guess the scary thing is, is that fiction mirrors life. Read about the real life NZ case here...

The Road - Cormac McCarthy

After reading The Road in some Level 3 exam essays the last couple of years, I decided I'd better read it. As a fan of science fiction, this post apocalyptic novel appealed. The bleak view of the world presented is tempered only by the unwavering love the father has for his son.

I cannot imagine what the film will be like - other than that Viggo will be powerful as the father.
You can read more about The Road and McCarthy here .

I couldn't put it down. Powerful Level 3 essays too.